Hold open device



B. S. BERNHARD HOLD OPEN DEVICE,

Filed June 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

s. BERNHARD HOLD OPEN DEVICE -Filed June 25, 1956 May 10, 1938.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BENJAMIN ATTO RNEYS.

Patented May 10, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 25,

21 Claims.

My invention relates to a hold open device. Doors are now quite generally equipped with door closers and checks and in connection therewith devices are often provided for holding the door in the desired open position.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved form of hold open device which is simple in construction, effective in. use and susceptible of ready adjustment.

) It is another object to provide a hold open device which will hold a door open with great security and yet which will permit the door to be closed with the greatest ease.

Another object is to provide a hold open dei vice which will operate silently at all times.

Other objects and various features of novelty i and improvement will either be pointed out or i will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

} Briefly stated, in a preferred form of the invention I employ a door closer of any suitable type, for example, that disclosed in my prior 1 Patent No. 1,999,274, April 30, 1935. The door closer is preferably carried by the door and is connected to a lintel or door casing by means of a pair of pivoted arms in the usual manner.

' The door closer and one arm are provided with means in the form of a pawl and pawl abutment soas to hold the door open when such parts coact with each other. The hold open means is so arranged that when the door is to be closed a person may first move the door to a slightly wider open position, which movement will throw the hold open device to an off position and permit the door closer to close the door freely.

I preferably provide means which will cushion the movement of the pawl so that the device will operate silently, that is, without the usual metallic clicks common to hold open devices now on the market. The hold open device is arranged so that the position in which the door is held open may be very quickly and very readily adjusted. Another feature includes an improved, adjustable length arm of sturdy, simple construction, quite pleasing to the eye.

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of the invention Fig. 1 is an illustrative fragmentary view of a door and lintel showing the application of my improved hold open device, the door being shown in three different positions;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of a door closer, showing parts of my improved hold open device, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View, taken substantially in the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2, and shows some parts not shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side View of an improved arm, a part being shown in section;

1936, Serial No. 87,159

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In said drawings, 5 indicates a door casing, to which a door 6 is hinged at I. The door carries a door closer, designated generally 8, and which may be of the type shown in my aforesaid patent. The door closer is connected to the lintel or frame by means of a pair of arms Iii-I I, hinged to each other at I2, and to the lintel at I 3, all as will be understood.

It may be said at this time that the full line position of the door in Fig. 1 is the position in which the door is held open by my improved hold open device at the particular adjustment of the devices illustrated in the drawings. The wider open dot-dash position of the door is the position to which the door may be moved in order tomove and latch the pawl in off position; while the ajar dash double dot position of the door is the position at which the pawl is reset or moved to its on position so as to be ready to function when the door is again opened to the full line position.

The door closer is not herein disclosed in detail, but reference to my aforesaid patent is made for a fuller disclosure of the workings of that particular door closer. The closer illustrated includes a closer casing l5 from which projects a closer shaft l6, which, under the influence of springs in the closer casing, is rotated in a direc- 3 tion to close the door. The shaft I6 is formed angularly, preferably square at its upper end, as indicated particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, and the arm H] is provided with a square opening to interfit with the top portion of the shaft It. A washer I1 fits over the aperture in the arm, and a screw I8 is threaded into the top of the shaft 16 and serves through the washer to securely hold the arm against displacement from the shaft.

The hold open device in its preferred form includes abutment means carried by a member which I term a cam IS. The cam in the form shown is adjustably mounted on a bushing 20 which is preferably provided with an angular bore to fit the squared top portion of the shaft l6 and a counterbore to fit down over the round portion of the shaft beneath the square portion thereof. The bushing preferably has an outer surface of circular section, and the cam I9 is provided with a bore to fit and be rotatable about such outer bearing surface of the bushing. The bushing may also be provided with a lower flange 2|, which may partially fit within a counterbore in the bottom of the cam I9 to support the latter. The cam I9 is arranged to be secured to and be movable with the arm Hi. In the form illustrated the top surface of the cam is fluted as illustrated at 22-22, and the arm is provided with a looking or latch pin 23 having a flattened nose v24 to fit into any of the flutes. The pin 23 is preferably provided with a head 25 fitting in a counterbore 26 in the pin bearing opening of the arm, and a coil spring 21 in the counterbore engages beneath the head 26 and urges the same, and of course the pin 23, upwardly. A headless screw 28 is screwed in to the threaded counterbore and engages the head so as to force the pin 23 downwardly and thus securely lock the cam 59 to the arm H] in any desired position of adjustment. As illustrated the pin 23 is slabbed off at 28' and a suitable pin or other device may pass transversely through the side of the pin bearing opening in the arm and engage the slabbed 01f portion 28 to prevent the pin from turning. By backing off the screw 28 the pin 23 may be completely disengaged from the cam flute, thus freeing the cam from the arm to render the hold open device inoperative if desired. The parts are proportioned so that when the screw 28 is flush with the top of the arm the hold open device is inoperative and the cam is prevented from moving idly about by the pawl to be described when in the full line position of Fig. 1.

The cam is provided with an abutment surface which I herein term a pawl abutment 30. The casing 55 of the door closer is provided with a pawl 3| which is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a stud or screw 32 secured to the case E5. The pawl has an abutment nose 33 at what I will term its front end and when the arm l0 and with it the cam H) has been swung to the full line position of Fig. 1, the nose 33 may engage behind the pawl abutment 30 and thus hold the door in the full line open position of Fig. 1. The pawl is urged in a direction to cause the nose 33 to engage behind the abutment 30 by spring means, which in the form shown comprises a plunger 34 slidable in a casing 35 on the closer case i5 and held against rotation by means of a transverse pin 36 and the slabbed off portion 3'! on the plunger 34. A compression spring 38 is interposed between and engages the rear end of the plunger 34 and a securing or adjusting screw 39 so as to constantly urge the plunger 34 outwardly. The plunger may be herein referred to as a pawl detent since at times it also holds the pawl in its so-called off position. In the position of the parts as shown in Fig. 2, the plunger is in engagement with a cam surface 40 on the pawl, back of the nose 33, and due to the positioning of the pivot pin 32 and the pawl detent or plunger 34 and surface 40, the pawl is urged in a counterclockwise direction. When the door is opened the pawl rides up over the cam bump 4i and'then drops into engagement with the pawl abutment surface 30.

The pawl detent 34 as shown has a detent abutment or surface 42, which surface is formed by forming an arcuate edge groove in the end of the detent 34 at one side and so positioned that a normal to the detent surface 42 will about pass through the center of the pin 32 so that when the nose 33 of the pawl engages the detent surface 42, as illustrated in the widest open or dot-dash position of Fig. 1, the spring pressed plunger 34 holds the pawl in its retracted or what I herein term its off position. The extent of the clockwise rotation of the pawl may be limited by the rear pawl nose 43, which may engage a surface of the cam 19 and prevent an excessive turning of the pawl. The rear nose 43, as will be explained, is engaged by a cam bump and rocks the pawl away from the detent and toward on position. The extent of counterclockwise movement of the pawl 33 may be limited by contact of the front nose 33 with a surface of the cam 19, as might be indicated in Fig. 2, or the rotation may be limited by means of an eccentric pin 44 in the casing [5. The eccentric pin is preferably a tight friction fit in a hole in the casing and may be rotated so as to form an adjustable abutment surface for the tail end of the pawl as shown. By properly positioning the eccentric pin 44 the nose 33 of the pawl can be held just clear of the concentric portion of the cam. The holding properties of the pawl and cam may be varied by adjusting the pin 44 so as to permit a greater or lesser extent of engagement between the pawl nose and cam. The pawl and cam are both horizontally mounted and the result is a Very compact, sightly device.

The operation of the device as thus far described is as follows:

When the door is moved from closed position toward open position, the cam I3 is moved in a counterclockwise direction until the front nose 33 of the pawl rides over the bump 4i and gently passes down into engagement with the pawl abutment shoulder 30, it being understood that the pawl detent or plunger 34 will serve to urge the pawl in a counterclockwise direction to cause the nose 33 to engage said shoulder. If the door be now released, it will be held in open position by the pawl abutment and pawl. If the surfaces 33-33 be of the proper form and the pawl adjusted by the eccentric pin 44, the door may be closed by forcing the same in the closing direction to cause the pawl nose 33 to ride up and over the pawl abutment surface 30 and bump 4|. However, instead of forcing the door in this manner, it is desirable to move the door to a slightly wider open position so as to move the pawl and latch the same to its off position, after which the door may be freely closed by the door closer. To accomplish this, the cam I9 is provided with a second cam bump 45, which, when the door is moved from its hold open position of Fig. 1 to the dot-dash or wider open position, will pass beneath the pawl surface adjacent the front nose 33 and rock the pawl to its off position. During such movement, the cam surface 40 on the pawl of course forces the pawl detent 34 inwardly in its casing, and when the pawl nose 33 comes into engagement with the detent surface 42, the pawl will be held or latched in such off position. If the door be then released, the closer will serve to freely move the door toward closed position. When the closing door reaches the double dotdash or ajar position of Fig. 1, the bump 4! will have already passed the front nose 33 of the pawl and the cam bump 45 will engage the rear nose or tail 43 of the pawl and again rock the pawl in a counterclockwise direction so as to free it from the detent surface 42 whereupon the plunger acting on the surface 40 will again rock the pawl into its on position illustrated in Fig. 2. When the door is again opened, the pawl being in its on position as shown in Fig. 2, will ride up on the cam bump 4|, which is not sufiiciently high to rock the pawl into engagement with the detent surface 42, and the front nose 33 will move into holding engagement with shoulder 30 and the same action will occur as has already been described.

It will be observed that the pawl and pawl detent 34 constitute in effect a snap action means, and when the pawl is kicked from its off position toward its on position by the cam bump 45, that is, when the parts have reached the double dot-dash position of Fig. 1, the tendency of the spring pressed pawl detent 34 to snap the pawl in a counterclockwise direction would produce a distinct and objectionable click of metal when the pawl nose 33 strikes the cam. In order to prevent such an objectionable click, I have provided a cushioning means which in the form shown comprises what may be termed a cam pin or cushion pin 46, which fits in a radial aperture 41 bump 4| of the cam. The cam pin 46 is urged outwardly by means of a coil spring 48 in the hole and for the sake of simplicity I prefer to enlarge the inner coils of the spring 48 so as to cause the same to grip the surrounding wall of the aperture friction-tight and the outer coil preferably is forced into a groove or neck 48' of the cam pin 46. Thus, the cam pin is held in its projected position shown particularly in Fig. 3 and yet no complicated mechanism is required for holding either the pin or the spring. The cam pin 46 is located circumferentially in relation to the cam bump 45 and pawl tail 43 so that it will be positioned beneath a part of the pawl and in engagement therewith when the latter is kicked from its off position by means of the cam bump 45. The cam pin 46, being spring pressed outwardly and in engagement with the pawl, serves to cushion the movement of the pawl 33 and prevent it from striking the cam bump 4|. During the rotation of the cam when the door is closing, the pawl is eased down toward the cam l9 until the tail of the pawl engages its adjustable limit stop or abutment 44.

It will be seen that my hold open device will work silently, due to the fact that there is. no metal to metal click when the pawl is thrown from its off to its on position, and, furthermore, there is no perceptible noise when the nose 33 of the pawl moves down to engage the abutment surface 30, this for the reason that the pawl simply rides up and over the cam bump 4| into its door holding position.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail and a preferred form illustrated, it is to be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a hold open pawl pivoted intermediate its length on one of said members, a pawl abutment carried by the other of said members, whereby when one end of said pawl and abutment are engaged with each other the door will be held open, and means operable upon movement of the door to a wider open position for engaging the other end of said pawl and moving it to an off position and holding the same in said off position, for a portion of the door closing movement of said parts.

2. In .a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl pivoted intermediate its length on one of said members and a pawl abutment movable with the other of said members and positioned to be engaged by one end of said pawl for holding a door in open position, and a cam member movable with said pawl abutment and positioned to engage the other end of said pawl to move the same to off position upon an opening movement of the door beyond the hold open position, for the purpose described.

3. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl pivoted intermediate its length on said door closer, a pawl abutment movable with said arm, means for tilting said pawl in a direction to cause the front end to engage said abutment for holding a door in open position, and means operable upon a movement of said door for engaging the rear end of said pawl for tilting said pawl to an 01f position so as to hold the front nose clear of said pawl abutment upon a closing movement of said door.

4. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl pivoted intermediate its length on one of said members, a pawl abutment movable with the other of said members and engageable by the front end of said pawl, whereby when said pawl and pawl abutment are engaged with each other a door will be held in open position, and means movable upon an opening movement of the door for engaging the other end of said pawl to tilt it to an off position during the first part of the closing movement of said door and thereafter for moving said pawl to an on position.

5. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl carried by one of said members, a pawl abutment movable with the other of said members and engageable with said pawl, whereby when said pawl and pawl abutment are in engagement with each other the door will be held in open position, snap action means for holding said pawl in off position and snapping the same toward on position, and resilient means for cushioning the movement of said pawl in moving toward on position, for the purpose described.

6. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, means movable with said closer and arm respectively including a pawl pivoted intermediate its length for holding a door in open position, and means for positively rocking said pawl to a relatively off position upon an opening movement of the door beyond a predetermined hold open position, whereby the door may close freely under the influence of said closer and arm.

7. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer including a casing, a pawl pivotally mounted thereon, a rotatable closer shaft carried by said casing, an arm. movable by said shaft, a cam member movable with said arm and angularly adjustable relatively thereto, said cam member having a pawl abutment, spring means: for urging said pawl in a direction to cause one part of the same to engage behind said pawl abutment, said cam having means to engage said pawl for throwing the same to off position and other means to throw it to on position upon diiferent movements of the door.

8. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer including a casing, a pawl pivotally mounted thereon, an arm movable by said door closer, a cam adjustably secured tosaid arm for unitary movement therewith and engageable with a part of said pawl for holding a door open, means for resiliently urging said pawl toward on position, and means for cushioning the movement of said pawl to on position.

9. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, a closer arm operated thereby, a pawl carried. by one of said members, a cam movable with the other of said members and having a pawl abutment for coaction with said pawl tohold the door in open position, snap means for snapping said pawl toward on position, and a resilient abutment carried by said cam and positioned to be engaged by said pawlfor cushioning the latter in its movement toward said on position.

10. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer having a closer shaft, a; closer arm non-rotatably secured to said shaft, a cam rotatably mounted about said closer shaft, and manually operable means carried by said arm for non-rotatably securing said closer arm and cam together in various adjusted positions for mutual rotation, a pawl, said cam having a pawl abutment for coaction with saidpawl for holding a door in open position at different angular positions depending upon said adjustment.

11. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer having a closer shaft of generally angular section, a closer arm having a correspondingly formed opening fitting said generally angularlyv formed shaft, a bushing having an opening fitting said generally angularly formed shaft, a cam rotatably mounted on said bushing, manually operable means carried by said arm for holding said arm and cam to each other rigidly in various positions of angular adjustment, said cam having a pawl abutment, and a pawl carried by the casing of said closer and positioned to engage said pawl abutment for holding a door in an open position depending upon the manual adjustment of said arm and cam.

12. In a. device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl pivotally carried by said closer, a cam non-rotatably but adjustably carried with said arm, said cam having a pawl abutment in position to be engaged by said pawl for holding a door in open position, said cam having a cam surface engageable with said pawl upon swinging of said arm in one direction to move said pawl to an off position, and means for latching said pawl in said off position whereby a door may close freely.

13. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl pivoted intermediate its length on one of said members, a cam carried by the other of said members, means for holding said cam and pawl in predetermined angular position for a given desired open position of a door, said cam having a holding abutment and a releasing abutment, and means for urging said pawl and holding abutment toward each other whereby upon engagement of said pawl and said abutment a door will be held in open position.

14. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a coacting pawl and cam carried by said arm and closer, said cam having a holding abutment and a releasing abutment, means for latching said pawl on one abutment in on position, said pawl being engageable with the releasing abutment of said cam to unlatch the same and swing it toward its on position.

15. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl and cam carried by said arm and door closer to coact with each other for holding a door in open position, a spring pressed plunger engageable with a part of said pawl to urge the same resiliently toward its on position, said spring pressed plunger and pawl having latching surfaces engageable with each other to hold said pawl in off position, said cam having a part engageable with a part of said pawl to unlatch the same and cause said spring pressed plunger to urge said pawl to on position,

,16. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, a pawl and cam carried by said arm and door closer to coact with each other and hold a door in open position, means for latching said pawl in off position, said cam having a surface engageable with a part of said pawl when said cam and pawl reach a predetermined relative angular position when said door has been partly closed, and a springpressed abutment carried by said cam and positioned beneath a part of said pawl at the time the latter is unlatched, whereby movement of said pawl toward on position is cushioned by said spring pressed abutment.

.17. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, a closer arm, said arm and closer having a rocking pawl pivoted intermediate its length and a coacting pawl abutment for holding a door in open position, means for resiliently rocking said pawl toward on position, and an adjustable stop for said pawl for limiting the reverse rocking movement of said pawl in an on" direction.

18. In. a device of the character indicated, a door closer, an arm actuated thereby, coacting means operable with said arm and closure for holding a door in open position, means for moving said coacting means to disengage the-same from each other upon an opening movement of the door beyond the hold open position, and means for latching said coacting means out of engagement with each other while the door moves past its hold open position in the closing direction.

19. In a device of the character indicated, a door closer, a pawl member pivoted intermediate its ends and having a holding nose and releasing nose at opposite ends, a cam movable with said arm, said cam having a holding abutment for engagement by said holding nose for holding a door in open position, said cam also having a cam bump to engage said pawl for engaging the releasing nose for moving the pawl to an o position, means for latching said pawl in said off position, said pawl having a part engageable with a part of said cam for unlatching saidzpawl and moving the same toward on position.

20. In a door closer, a closer shaft, a closer arm thereon, a cam mounted on and to turn with said shaft, spaced bumps on said cam, a pawl mounted at one side of said cam, one end of said pawl being adapted to engage with one bump to hold said arm in the door open position, another part of said pawl being adapted to engage with the other bump-to disengage said pawl from the first mentioned bump to permit said arm to move in a door closing direction.

21. In a door closer, a closer shaft, a closer arm thereon, a cam mounted on and to turn with said shaft, spaced bumps on said cam, a pawl mounted at one side of said cam, one end of said pawl being adapted to engage with one bump to hold said arm in the door open position, another part of said pawl being adapted to engage with the other bump to disengage said pawl from the first mentioned bump to permit said arm to move in a door closing direction, and a latch carried by said shaft to couple and uncouple said cam therewith.

BENJAMIN S. BERNHARZD. 

